Unfortunately motorcycles and stoplights have somewhat of a bad relationship. Stoplights in the United States generally come in 3 styles:
- Timed – The lights simply change based on timers.
- Video – Similar to a motion detector when it senses movement the light gets triggered.
- Metal Detectors (Inductive Loop) – Sensors in the ground pick up the metal of vehicles crossing over them thus triggering the light.
Now stoplights using option 1 or 2 are no problem for motorcycles. However, a majority of lights are of the metal detector type. This is a problem for many motorcycles simply because they do not have enough metal to trigger the light. Therefore, if you are the only vehicle at the red-light you may be stuck for quite awhile waiting for it to change to a green-light.
So what is the solution?
Well honestly right now there are not many solutions other then making a right turn and then making a legal U-turn. Some states have made it legal for motorcyclist to proceed through a red-light if they have waited for a certain length of time. Of course this just opens up a whole other can of worms and potential problems.
Example Of A Metal Detector (Inductive Loop) Stoplight
For the best chance of detection stop at the light with the front tire at the top left or top right of the loop; then have the remaining portion of the motorcycle centered over the sides of the loop.
Some people say putting strong magnets on the bottom of your motorcycle, and then stopping directly on the metal detector strips in the road will trigger the lights. However, this is also disputed by others as well.
